Narratively Speaking

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I live in the UK and am an avid reader of YA, New Adult and occasionally adult fiction. I set up this website to give honest reviews about books I read and I also post reviews at Wastepaperprose. If you are an author, publisher or publicist and would like me to review a book, please e mail me here.

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Saturday, 14 March 2015

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

My confession is this. I’ve never read a Colleen Hoover book. That’s not to say that I don’t own any of her books, but you know how it goes, books get swallowed up in the never-ending TBR pile until you’re ready to read them or better yet, they’re ready for you to read them.

I knew nothing about Confess when I picked it up to read although I do remember Colleen asking her Facebook followers for confessions at some point. As it turns out, she used them in the book (presumably with permission) which sort of makes you as the reader feel a bit like a voyeur as it goes. I didn’t know any of this before I started reading though, and I hadn’t even read the synopsis, I just decided I liked the pretty colours on the cover. Don’t worry, I’m not THAT superficial. The potential behind the title also intrigued me, and to be honest, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Colleen Hoover is kind of a big deal in the publishing world, and especially with bloggers. I was a little afraid that she wouldn’t live up to the hype (I don’t like hype) but in reality, not only did she live up to it, but she surpassed it, and I was unequivocally blown away by this book. The writing style was flawless, the editing was perfect, the plot captivated me, and drove me on to figure out all the secrets, and the characters were both flawed and loveable at the same time. Not to mention the fantastic ending, and clever, weavy (yes, I just made that up) storyline. I also really appreciate the humour, especially as I wasn’t having the best day when I started reading. In fact, once I’d started reading, I couldn’t stop and finished it within a few hours.

I have gone from blah to fangirl overnight and now own every book this woman has ever written. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know, then nothing will.

Confess was published on 10th March, 2015 in the US and the UK. To find out more about Colleen Hoover and her books, please click here to visit her website. She is also active on Facebook and Twitter.

Sunday, 19 October 2014

Despite the fact that I haven't posted anything since May, I'm still getting review requests. I've just added some text to my review policy stating that as I am not currently blogging, please do not send review requests. At this point, I'm not sure I will ever return to blogging in this format but I will let you know when I make any final decisions. Thanks :)

Saturday, 31 May 2014

A beautiful and distinguished family.A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A secret.Lies upon lies.True love.The truth.

Read it.And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

So I've been meaning to do this for a while now and I'm only just getting round to it! EVERYONE is talking about We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and I was fortunate enough to be sent a US ARC by a complete stranger. After being turned down on Netgalley, I thought I would have to wait for the UK version to come out but someone in America did me a massive favour and sent me the book. I didn't even know it was coming and it was a lovely surprise. I'll always be grateful because I saw it as an act of kindness.

Unfortunately, having now read the book, it really disappointed me. The writing is good but it wasn't my kind of style, my kind of story or my kind of book. I guessed the twist early on I'm afraid and only finished the book because I wanted to find out if I was right. I was. Now, that's not to say that YOU won't like it as everyone has been raving about it. Maybe it's just me *shrug* maybe I'm the freak that doesn't like it, I mean there has to be one, right?!

Anyway, I want to share the book love around and so in my own act of kindness, in a pay it forward kind of way, I'm giving away the ARC to one lucky winner. All you have to do is answer a few questions to be in with a chance. Don't worry, it's only to tell me what country you live in, your email address (so I can get hold of you) and why you desperately want to read the book. One winner will be chosen at random on Sunday 8th June. This contest is open internationally. Good luck!

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

You may have noticed that I've not been so active on the blog lately and that's because I need a bit of time out. Life is very busy at the moment and to be quite honest, we're still dealing with the effects of the flood that happened 4 months ago and forced us to uproot our lives. I'm driving myself crazy trying to do ALL THE THINGS and have realised that rather than failing at all of them, I'd like to do less of them and achieve the things I am doing. It's not necessarily forever, it's just for right now but I'd rather stay sane than try and kill myself trying to do everything and please everyone. So for that reason, I need a bit of time out where I don't have to worry or stress, especially about the blog and I know that life will still go on regardless or whether I'm blogging or not. I can't tell you how much time I need or anything like that but thank you for supporting me and the blog.

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine ,
that highlights
upcoming book releases everyone
is waiting on...hence the
title. This week's pick is Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini. Here's the synopsis:

Love burns. Worlds collide. Magic reigns.

This
world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies
keep her from enjoying many of the experiences that other teenagers take
for granted...which is why she is determined to enjoy her first (and
perhaps only) high-school party. But Lily's life never goes according to
plan, and after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating
class Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly Lily is in a
different Salem - one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by
powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruellest of all the
Crucibles is Lillian . . . Lily's identical other self in this alternate
universe. This new version of her world is terrifyingly sensual, and
Lily is soon overwhelmed by new experiences.

Lily realizes that
what makes her weak at home is exactly what makes her extraordinary in
New Salem. It also puts her life in danger. Thrown into a world she
doesn't understand, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope
to shoulder alone, and a love she never expected.

But how can Lily be the saviour of this world when she is literally her own worst enemy?

I'm so excited to find out that Josephine Angelini has a novel coming out soon that I don't even care what it's about, I just know that I have to read it! Having read the synopsis however, I am DEFINITELY interested. Salem? Crucibles? Sounds a little witchy to me and I love me some witchiness. I'm also intrigued about being in an alternative universe and knowing Josephine, there has to be a little romance in this ;) I can't wait to read it!

Trial By Fire is published on 2nd September, 2014. To find out more about Josephine Angelini and her books, please click here to visit her website.

Wednesday, 9 April 2014

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine ,
that highlights
upcoming book releases everyone
is waiting on...hence the
title. This week's pick is We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. Here's the synopsis:

A beautiful and distinguished family.A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A secret.Lies upon lies.True love.The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE

Honestly speaking, I would probably never pick this up because I'm not that interested in things that remind me of The OC and things like that BUT this book is getting such buzz from the US at the moment and everyone is saying that the writing is captivating, the plot is brilliant and the twistyness is inspired. So yes, I'm more than a little curious and yes, now I DO want to read it. I just hope it can live up to the hype!

We Were Liars is published on 13th May, 2014 and will be published in the UK by HotKey Books. To find out more about E. Lockhart and her books, please click here to visit her website.

Sunday, 6 April 2014

I'm not a huge fan of Facebook but I like the funny GIFs, catching up with friends and family, and connecting with authors as well as finding out about book news. What I saw in my feed today saddens me beyond belief and it concerns a published author with several books to her name - SARAH DALTRY. I will start by saying that I do not know her at all and I've never read or reviewed any of her books although I believe there are a couple of them in my TBR pile. Rather than copying and pasting, it's easier to link you to Sarah's final blog post which I urge you to read. If you can, open it up in a new window so that you can come back here...

It's not clear to me but it sounds like this author is a victim of bullying which has probably contributed to some serious depression. Because of this, she has given up on her dreams and is no longer going to write. She has said that she will withdraw all her books in the next few days and there will be no more. Ever. My heart breaks for this woman and I desperately want to reach out to her but she is retracting from all forms of communication and deleting all her social media accounts. The only way I can think of to support her is to buy her books and so that's what I've done. I urge you to PLEASE show your support by doing the same. PLEASE show Sarah that people really do "give a fuck" as she thinks that no one does. PLEASE let her know that the blogging community really does care about authors because I know that we do.

In 2011, I was one of the first UK book bloggers to read and review an unknown novel entitled DIVERGENT by debut author Veronica Roth and back then, I knew it was something special. The book was so compelling that I spent a whole day reading without showering, dressing or even brushing my teeth. I realise that sounds somewhat gross but I could. Not. Put. It. Down. Fast forward to the present day and the movie has just been released in the UK. I went to see it on Saturday night (one day after the official UK release) and with all YA book to movie adaptations that have come out recently, I admit to having been slightly nervous. Would the movie live up to my expectations? Would it be true to the book? Did they get the casting right? Ultimately, would I be disappointed? The answer is this...

DIVERGENT IS THE BEST YA BOOK TO SCREEN ADAPTATION YET.

The casting was SPOT ON for all the characters, and Shailene Woodley and Theo James were surprisingly PERFECT as their respective characters, Tris and Four. There was one particular scene where Shailene almost had me bawling. I only held it back because I hate crying in public but it was hard!

Every single scene in the movie looked exactly like I saw them in my head when I read the book, and I might have squealed when I saw Veronica herself make a cameo in the movie (if you’re wondering where, I believe she was in the zip lining scene). Just as an aside, I’m going on holiday later in the year and have the opportunity to do a bit of zip lining myself. I’m terribly afraid of heights, we’re talking deer in the headlights kind of afraid, but I’m hoping to channel my inner Tris to conquer my fear.

DIVERGENT was pretty much perfection and there was nothing I would change particularly apart from the very last scene. In the final scenes of the book, Four spoke one of my most favourite lines ever but sadly, it wasn’t used. I can see why that wouldn’t work so well on screen but that’s the only criticism I have.

DIVERGENT was outrageously good, I’m desperate to see it again and whilst I haven’t actually bought any of the other YA adaptations on blueray/DVD, I will DEFINITELY be buying this one. In fact, I’m pre-ordering RIGHT NOW.

My advice to you is go and see this movie, even if you haven’t read the book because it’s highly entertaining and not just “another teen movie”. DIVERGENT asks a lot of questions about choice, leadership qualities, what it means to be brave, and if it’s possible to create an idealistic society. It doesn’t do the thinking for you, it makes YOU think. DIVERGENT had an impressive opening weekend in the states, so much so that the sequel INSURGENT has already been given the green light to be made by Summit and quite frankly, I can’t bloody wait!

DIVERGENT was published in the UK on 23rd April, 2011. The movie was released in the UK on 4th April, 2014. To find out more about Veronica Roth and her books, please click here. If you’re interested in my book review of DIVERGENT, please click here and if you want to read about the time I met Veronica Roth (and Shailene Woodley walked into the room) then please click here.